Murder, Maestro, Please

Jane and Dagobert Brown #6

by Delano Ames

Vacationing again, this time in the Pyrenees, Jane and Dagobert are shot by a sniper. This serves as the opening for a story filled with the most whimsical characters of the series. - The Mystery Lover's Companion, Art Bourgeau

Genres: Mystery

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

Delano Ames (May 29, 1906 – January 1987) was an American writer of detective stories. Ames was the author of some 20 books, many of them featuring a husband and wife detective team of amateurs named 'Dagobert and Jane Brown'. A later series of novels involved a character named Juan Lorca, of the Spanish Civil Guard, who solved local mysteries.

Born in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Delano's father Benjamin worked for the local newspaper, but moved the family in 1917 to New Mexico.

Ames married Australian born writer, Maysie Greig (1901-1971) in Greenwich Village, New York City, in 1929. Greig was a prolific author of light-hearted romance novels. They divorced in 1937.

Ames lived in England for the next few years, where he married his second wife, Kit, and was assigned as a British intelligence officer during World War II. He also worked on anthologies on mythology and as a translator for Larousse in France. His last book was an introduction for a book of photography of Spain in 1971.

He died in Madrid, Spain, in January 1987.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dagobert's young, pretty cousin Perdita needs additional chaperones when she visits a music festival in the Pyrenees, and since Jane and Dagobert are living in Paris, and Perdita is traveling with Jane's old school chum, the family assumes they will take over. When they arrive at the small town where the festival is taking place, they meet a young girl whose tragic history almost overshadows her musical talents, her beautiful older sister, an American on the GI bill, a charming bounder, and a free-lance reporter who seems to have no idea what's going on. But everyone is not what they seem, including the harpsichordist whose return to performance is the occasion of the festival.

[Gregory · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I came across this book at an estate sale and gave it a try, never having heard of the author before. He was apparently a mystery writer of sufficient popularity to publish almost two dozen books from 1932¬–1967. This one, published in 1952, features a husband-and-wife detective team with more than a touch of the Nick and Nora about them. However, I did not find the mystery itself enjoyable.

There is a murder at the beginning (as well as a bunch of shots fired at our protagonists for no apparent reason), and if you think that an entertaining mystery is one in which you have no idea who the killer is, then perhaps this is for you. However, the book’s approach to this is to load up the story with many characters, all of whom are lying for various reasons, plot twist after plot twist, each of which just confuses things more, and a detective who seems to know more than everyone else, but for no good reason that I ever could see.

It was hard to keep track of all the characters, their backstories, alibis, detected lies followed by new alibis, confessions, retracted confessions, and a bizarre attention to modes of transportation by which everyone gets around. Perhaps the novel “plays fair” with the reader in the sense that all the necessary clues are there… but even in the denouement, when all is explained, the reader will find it difficult to understand how the detective put it all together. I got impatient with all the characters and twists and was very much looking forward to the ending, which is obviously not a sign of a good read.

The book has a light touch with hints of almost-humor, and I wonder if that was enough to make it entertaining to readers in the 1950s. In any case, I’m sorry that I can’t recommend it to readers today.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane and Dagobert are such an interesting couple. I wish there were more books available in the series.

[Kendall]

How have I never read any of these mysteries before??? This was fun! And twisty, I was definitely surprised. Now to find the rest of this series!

[Hanna Katariina Bengtsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

småspännande och mycket mänsklig femtiotalsdeckare som utspelar sig i franska katalonien. lättläst och smålustig

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my full review click here:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...